Power-wheel



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheebl.

' L.Z. GRIGSBY.

POWER WHEEL.

No. 358,263. Patented Feb. 22, 1887.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEMUEL ZAOHEUS GRIGSBY, OF MINDEN, LOUISIANA.

POWER-WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 358,263, dated February 22, 1887.

Application filed October 8,1886. Serial No. 215,710. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LLEMUEL ZAOHEUS Grues- BY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minden,in the parish of Webster and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Power-Wheels or Rotary Steam-Engines; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a representation of aside elevation, partly in section. Fig. 2 is an end elevation. Fig. 3 is a sectional detailof the hub. Fig. 4 is a similar detail of the steam-chest. Fig. 5 is a'section through the outer plate of the hub, and Figs. 6 and 7 are detail sectional views of the hub and steamchest.

My invention relates to improvements in rotary engines, the object being to make use of gravity for the purposes of ecouomizing power and to prevent the increased friction met with in driving pistons through curved cylinders, as in the usual forms of rotary engines; and it consistsin the construction and novel arrangements of parts, hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, A A designate two vertical standards, in which the engine has bearings, and between which it rotates.

The main features of the engine are as follows:

B is a large wheel acting as fly-whe'el and as hand wheel or pulley, and having a hub, O, in which the cylinders are made or upon which they are secured.

D is a cylindrical or hemispherical steamchest equal in diameter to the hub and secured thereto. One of the journals is on the steamchest and the other is on the opposite side of the hub, and these journals have their bearings a a in the standards A A, respectively, so that the body of the engine forms its own fly-wheel and the rim thereof the drivingpulley or baud-wheel.

b is the rim of the wheel B, around which a belt, X, passes. The rim 7) is connected to the hub by the four equidistant radial arms b, as shown. \Vithin the hub 0, preferably of cast metal, are made the two pairs of straight cylinders E E and F F. the former at right angles to the latter. The cylinders of each pair are parallel to each other, but open in opposite directions, and are equally distant from the center of the hub.

The steam-chest D is bolted and packed steam-tight to the hub, and has in its face-plate adjacent thereto the four equidistant poi-ts d, which are near its edge and long enough to extend across the ends of the adjacent pairs of cylinders, each of which communicates with it by a separate port. To illustrate, the

pair of cylinders E E communicate at one end with the adjacent port d, through the openings or passages e 6 made in the hub, and at the other end through the similar passages, e 6, with the opposite port d. The corresponding passages or ports of the pair of cylinders F F are at one end ff, and at the other end ff.

Between the hub and the face-plate of the steanrchest are made the deep radial recesses G, into which the ports (I and the passages from the cylinders alike open, and in which slide the plate-valves H. The said valves have each an outstanding valve-stem, 7i, and a curved spring, h, attached centrally to the hub, to move them outward after they have been moved inward, by means hereinafter described.

Each valve H has two openings, h if, which, when the valves have been driven inward, register with the corresponding passages into the cylinders and allow steam to flow therein. The outer p1ate,I,of the hub, or the plate opposite the steam-chest,has four exhaustports, 1, similar to and at points opposite the steamports d in the steam-chest, and i i are recesses made in said plate corresponding to the recesses G.

J J are valves sliding in the recesses 43 and provided with the stems i and springs i in all-respects similar to the stems h and springs h.

k k and k k are passages from the ends of the cylinders E E, respectively, similar to the passages e e and e e, the corresponding passages for the cylinders F F being I Z and Z P.

These passages open into the recessi i. Each cylinder has a piston, S, reciprocating within it, and each piston is connected by a rod, 8, with a weight, T, which, as the rod reciprocates, moves outward and inward on the ways 1, made on the corresponding radial arm, I), of the wheel B, as shown. The journal M is fixed centrally to the outer plate, I, of the hub and turns in the bearing a of the standard A, the said journal being preferably solid. The

journal M, secu red centrally to the outer plate of the steam-chest, is, however, hollow and forms part of the steam-pipe to said chest. This journal turns in the bearing a of the standard A and has 011 its end, outside of said bearing, a steam-tight couplingjoint, N, which connects with the steam-pipe 0, commencing from the boiler, so that it can rotate with the hub O and the wheel B and notlose steam, the throttle-valve being on the pipe 0.

l is a depressing-plate, fixed to a part of the main frame connecting the standard, at a point where the stems h of the valves H will come in contact therewith just alter each of the said valves has passed its lowest point in the direction of rotation. The ends of the stems are rounded or inclined and the plates are correspondingly inclined, so that the stem and valve will be driven inward and the valve opened when the stem comes in contact with the depressing-plate. Pis a similar depressingplate for the exhaust-valves, which are situated diametrically opposite the steamvalves, as at a point just beyond their highest point in the direction of rotation.

Now, it is evident that when the wheel B rotates the pistons 01' the cylinders E I will act at the same time; but one will be drawn in as the other is forced out, so that when the steam-valve of said piston opens, just after the said valve has passed the lowest point of the wheel, the corresponding exhaust-valve also opening, the cylinder E will have its piston and attached weight driven outward, and the piston and attached weight of E will be drawn inward. It being so arranged that E is the higher cylinder, they willmake one side of the wheel B overbalance the other and rotation will be maintained. The pistons ot' the cylinders F F are actuated in the same manner, so that one side of the wheel is continually overbalancing the other, and consequently its rotation is continuous. As the whole enginerotates, it forms a fly-wheel, O, for itself, and as there are onlystraight cylinders the engine has the combined advantages of a reciprocating and a rotary engine.

\Vhile the engine could be driven by water or compressed air, the use of steamis farpreferable, as the depressing-plates could be adjusted to allow the engine to take advantage .of the wheel only, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the main wheel provided with the hub and radial spokes having ways for the weights upon them, the cylinders made upon the hub in pairs at right angles to each other, and with the cylinders on each part acting in opposite directions, the weights attached to the piston-rods, the steam-chest secured to and rotating with the hub, the steam and exhaust valves, each communicating with the adjacent ends of the two cylinders of a pair, and means, substantially as described, for opening said valves at the proper points, substantially as specified.

3. The combination of the main wheel, the cylinders arranged upon the hub in pairs at right angles to each other, the steam-chest secured to and rotating with the hub, the steam and exhaust valves provided with stems and springs,as describcd,and the depressing-plates so situated as to open said valves atthe proper points, substantially as specified.

a. The combination of the standards A A, thejournal M on the hub havinga bearing in the standard A, the hollow journal M of the steanrchcst having a bearing on the standard A, and coupled to the steam-pipe so that it can turn without losing steam, the main wheel 13, the hub O, the cylinders E E and F F, arranged at rightangles to each other on the hub, the steam-chest secured to the hub, the weights on the ends of the piston-rods, the steam and exhaust valves provided with stems and springs, substantially as described, and the depressing plates to open said valves atthe proper points, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEMUEL ZACHEUS GRIGSBY.

Witnesses:

GENT W. WARREN. T. M. FORT. 

